A boy's love
by Dolce Pianissimo
Summary: A story of a certain German man who met a young 5 years old Italian boy at a toy store on the last day before Christmas. A boy's love is a guaranteed tear jerker for even the most hard hearted. Christmas AU.


When Ludwig saw all the people there, he started to complain to himself. It is going to take forever here and he still have so many other places to go. Christmas is really getting more and more annoying every year. How he wish he could just lie down, go to sleep and only wake up after it...

On the last day before Christmas, he hurried to the stores to buy the remaining gifts he didn't manage to buy earlier.

Nonetheless, Ludwig made his way to the toys section. Once he was there, he started to curse at the prices as he wonder if all kids really play with such expensive toys.

While looking in the toys section, Ludwig noticed a small boy of about five years old, pressing a doll against his chest. He kept on touching the hair of the doll and looked very sad. Ludwig wondered who he wanted to give the doll to.  
The little boy turned to the old woman next to him and said, "Granny, are you sure I don't have enough money?"  
The old lady replied, "You know that you don't have enough money to buy this doll, my dear."  
Following that, she asked him to stay put for five minutes while she went to look around. She left quickly.

The little boy was still holding the doll in his hands. Finally, Ludwig walked towards him and asked him who he wanted to give the doll to.

"It is the doll that my fratello loved most and wanted so much for this Christmas. He was so sure that Santa Claus would bring it to him."

Ludwig told him that maybe Santa Claus will bring it to him after all and not to worry.  
However, he replied sadly, "No, Santa Claus cannot bring it to where he is now. I have to give the doll to my Mama so that she can give it to him when she goes there."  
His eyes looked so sad while saying this.

"My fratello has gone to be with God. Papa said that Mama will also join God very soon so I thought that she can bring the doll with her to give it to my fratello."  
Ludwig heart nearly stopped.  
The little boy looked up at him and said, "I told Papa to tell Mama not to go yet. I asked him to wait until I come back from the store."

Then, he showed Ludwig a very nice photo of him where he was laughing.  
He told me, "I also want Mama to take this photo with her so that she will not forget me."

"I love my Mama and I wish she didn't have to leave me but Papa says that she has to go and join my fratello."  
Then he looked at the doll again quietly with sad eyes.

Ludwig quickly reached for his wallet and took a few dollars out.  
He said to the boy, "What if we checked again, just in case, to see if you have enough money?"  
"Okay. I hope that I have enough." he said.  
Ludwig added some of his money into the little boy money without him seeing and they started to count it together. There was enough for the doll with some spare money.

The little boy said, "Thank you God for giving me enough money."  
Then he looked at Ludwig and added, "Yesterday, I asked God before I slept to make sure that I have enough money to buy this doll so that Mama can give it to my fratello. God must have heard me."

"I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my Mama but I didn't dare to ask God for too much. However, he gave me enough to buy the doll and the white rose. You know, my Mama loves white roses."

The old lady came back a few minutes later and Ludwig left.

Ludwig finished his shopping in a totally different state of mind from when he started. He couldn't get the little boy out of my mind. Suddenly, Ludwig remembered an article in the local newspaper two days ago which is about a traffic accident. In the accident, a truck driven by a drunk driver hit a car. There was a young lady and a little boy inside the car. The little boy died right away and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-support machine because the young lady would not be able to get out of the coma.

Was that the family of the little boy?

Two days after the encounter with the little boy, Ludwig read in the newspaper that the young lady had passed away.

He couldn't stop himself from buying a bunch of white roses and going to the mortuary where the body of the young lady will be placed for people to pay their final respects before burial. She was there in her coffin holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest.

He left the place crying as he felt that his life had been changed forever.

The love that the little boy had for his mother and brother is still, to this day, hard to imagine.

* * *

"Hey Papa?"

"Yes my cute tomato?"

"Do you think Feli and Mama will be happy with our gifts?" the little boy ask his father. The father just laugh and patted his son hair.

"Of course they will Lovi~ Your mother, Alice and Feli appreciate our gifts very much!" Lovino or Lovi's father said, trying to lighten up the atmosphere. Lovino just nodded his head slowly and hold his father's warm hand.

"Papa?"

"Sì, Lovi?"

They stop walking and Lovino look straight into his father. Lovino grip his father's hand tightly and say "Promise me you won't leave me, papa?" Lovino said. His father just stare at him before hugging him tightly.

"I promise to you I won't leave you. No matter what happens, I'll stay beside you. I'll protect you and watch you grow up into a wonderful person..." his father said kindly. Lovino, still in his father's embrace just cry and hugged back his father.

"Ti amo, papa..."

"Ti amo mi querido hijo..."


End file.
